MADISON, Fla. (WTXL) — A shared staffing deal between two North Florida school districts is now off the table.
- Madison County school board members voted unanimously to rescind their shared staffing agreement with Jefferson County schools during a special meeting on Monday.
- Board members say they are concerned with last minute amendments to job descriptions for the administrative roles.
- Watch the video below to hear more on what’s next for both school districts.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The deal between Jefferson and Madison County school boards to share leadership positions has officially collapsed. I’m Lentheus Chaney, your neighborhood reporter in Madison—where a unanimous vote today put a stop to the partnership that promised cost savings but raised red flags for employees and families.
Today, the Madison County School Board voted unanimously to rescind recent amendments to a shared staffing agreement with Jefferson County—voiding the deal entirely.
The decision comes after concerns surfaced over key changes made after the original vote, particularly around the job description for the exceptional student education (ESE) director—a role Madison would oversee and fund.
Some board members say they’ve been flooded with calls and messages from neighbors who never supported the plan in the first place.
District 5 School Board Member Devin Thompson says she voted against the agreement the first time and is grateful the board had a chance to revisit it.
“The biggest concern that I got as far as phone calls was the ESE department that is very critical as far as the services that the students received. We wanna make sure that the staff that is over that department is rooted in the community,” Thompson said.
The original agreement included plans to share three top-level positions—ESE director, human resources director, and transportation director.
Neighbor Jennifer Fulmer says she’s happy with today’s outcome and from the beginning questioned not just the process, but also the potential implications on the partnership.
“I think it’s a conflict of interest. You can’t have a HR person for two counties and to be able to, you know, weigh which county needs what—and then transportation services here three days, there two,” Fulmer said.
I spoke to Jefferson Superintendent Jackie Pons. He says although he’s disappointed, he’s grateful for the board and the opportunity to present something innovative. Superintendent Pickles says they’ll move forward with hiring their own ESE director.
In Madison, I’m Lentheus Chaney, ABC27.
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